Beastfolk, Rippers (3.5e Race)

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(Note: Rippers are roughly based on the Gul, created by Greedy Woozle Strega.) Wizards have never been known to be able to leave well enough alone. One enterprising spellcrafter noticed the potential for even greater combat abilities present in the slink race, and set about drawing it out, seeking to make them more like the larger, more melee-oriented members of the mustelid family’‘: badgers and wolverines. The end result of these experiments was the rippers, a race of incredible endurance and near unstoppable tenacity. Surprisingly, the rippers did not slaughter their creator, as is common after such experiments. This was mainly because the wizard in question was wise enough to hire them as mercenary guards instead of simply trying to use them as mindless slaves, having instilled enough intelligence in them to understand the use of gold and the importance of steady work. As the race began to multiply, they spread out and began to offer their services to others as well, until now it is gradually starting to become quite common for standing armies or well-heeled employers in need of guarding to keep a squad or two of ripper mercenaries on hand for use in really messy situations where lots indiscriminate force is needed.

Rippers are right on the edge almost all the time. It seems to a casual observer as though one of these powerful beings was a like a pot right on the verge of boiling over, just waiting for the right catalyst or the slightest excuse to let it loose. This eagerness for battle makes rippers hard to get along with at times, though they can often sublimate their darker urges (though not always) with boisterous, outgoing personalities and heavy partying. Many, though, turn to dark brooding, waiting for the next moment when they will be able to unleash their inner beast without having to hold back.

Burly and of incredibly well-muscled, solid construction, a ripper looks like a wall of fur-covered muscle, ranging in height from 5’6” all the way to a good 7 feet flat, their shoulders broad and chests deep. With a strong resemblance to badgers and wolverines given a humanoid shape, with appropriate fur patterns and short tails as well as muzzles and black-padded noses, these mighty mustelids are an incredibly intimidating sight, with sharp claws tipping their thick fingers, and powerful, sharp-toothed jaws that can crack bones with ease.

Rippers are not the sort of race that anyone really calls friends, though they are the sort that lots of people would like to call allies. Slinks are perhaps the only race that really gets along with rippers, as the two races have an instinctual understanding of each other. However, rippers have learned to respect dwarves, who share similar levels of sheer tenacity and endurance, orcs for their strength and ability to survive even when defeated, ursa for their might and their boisterous personalities, and wolfen, who seem like kindred spirits on a gut level. As a relatively new race of mercenaries, rippers have yet to make any significant enemies or allies at the present time, though they are certainly feared and respected despite their short racial lifespan.

Note: Rippers are able to interbreed with slinks, the offspring taking on the racial traits of the mother.

While mostly loyal to their employers and their friends, rippers are nevertheless rather selfish and interested in gratifying their desires, first and foremost. They aren’t raving maniacs, and they like sharing the company of others, but they are also free spirits, and while they may serve others, they do so on their own terms. This, and their prodigious tempers, makes rippers unstable at times, and prone to acting on their impulses whenever the mood takes them. For this reason, and many others, rippers tend to be Chaotic Neutral in alignment.

Because there are so few rippers at present, they do not have any significant land holdings of their own. However, there are some settlements of rippers that have sprung up around the tower of the wizard who originally created the race, and they can sometimes be found living around areas that slinks are known to inhabit.

Since they are a race that was created recently through mortal intervention, and because they are able to heal even the most horrendous wounds on their own, given time, rippers have yet to form any significant attachments to any deities. This is further encouraged by the lack of interest in religion manifested by the slinks, the race from which the rippers were made. However, despite their general disinterest in religious matters, rippers are willing to respect gods of strength and combat. Kord is an archetype of the sort of god that they like best, though his good leanings often turn off the more self-oriented rippers.

As a created race, rather than a strictly natural one, rippers speak Common as their native language, though they have also taken up a number of words from Giant, Gnoll, and Orc to create their own specialized language, called Ripper, which is mostly concerned with conveying quick information in battle and issuing challenges. Rippers can select bonus languages from Elven, Feline, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, Ibixian, Infernal, Orc, Squeak Speak, and Wolfen.

This savage race pride themselves in giving names of true savagery and mighty strength to their children. Usually these names are in their racial dialect, and have harsh, savage sounds that are more akin to snarls and growls than what other races regard as speech. Because males and females are almost identical in physical abilities and social roles, unless a ripper uses a name or nickname from another language, there is almost no variation between male and female names. Typical names include Bracka, Goregrin, Maulerclaw, and Raash.

Most rippers belong to one mercenary company or other, and usually serve in the company of more of their kind, preferring their own race to others because of their magical hardiness, which allows rippers to let loose with all their primal urges without worrying about accidental casualties among their friends. However, a ripper whose company has somehow been wiped out by overwhelming force is likely to pair up with an adventuring party to ward off loneliness. This is especially likely to happen if the party in question is obviously in need of heavy muscle and is willing to pay for it, or obviously has some members who might survive the rough ways of a ripper, such as dwarves or half-orcs or wolfen.

Rage: A ripper can rage 1/day, as a 1st level barbarian. If a ripper is a barbarian, it adds an additional use of that ability per day.

Regeneration (Su): Rippers are able to regenerate 1 hit point per round as a supernatural ability, which also allows them to regrow severed limbs. Unlike the fast healing of other species, though, ripper regeneration usually produces incredible amounts of scarring.